Three idols seized from a house in Sivagangai

CHENNAI: Sleuths from the idol wing seized three idols, believed to be antique, from a house in Sivgangai after posing as antique buyers. The team had seized idols of Bhoodevi, Sridevi and Karuppuswamy.

The investigators had also arrested one P Veerabathran, 36, from whose premise the idols were seized, besides apprehending one Bose, while had sourced the idol and gave the same to Veerabathran. The two were expecting to fetch Rs.60 lakh per piece by selling the idols.

Veerabathran was approached by idol wing sleuths posing as wealthy idol buyers on 10 December but the seller kept insisting on seeing cash first before showing the idols. So the team promised to return with Rs.60 lakhs the next day in Manamadurai. When the seller appeared there with idols the next morning, the idol wing team arrested Veerabathran on 11 December and seized the idols.

After the arrest of Veerabathran, police arrested Bose from Madurai. Both the accused and the properties are being sent for remand on Tuesday. The properties seized will be produced for inspection by ASI to ascertain the antiquity of the same. A requisition is also being sent to the HR & CE to assign the idols to the temple from where they might have got stolen. Probe is on to find out the source from which Bose had acquired the idols and the temple to which theybelong and the accused who committed the theft, said a press note from Idolwing.